The Sundown Roughettes hosted the Morton Maidens for a district basketball battle this past Friday night, resulting in the Roughettes winning 63-28.
The Roughettes domi- nated the first half of play, outscoring Morton 43-7, which would put the game out of reach in the second half.
Sundown only shot 29% from the field, but that was completely neutralized as they secured 59 rebounds and 20 steals as a team, creating endless offensive opportunities.
The Roughettes would capitalize on those opportunities, as all nine players on the roster scored in the win, highlighted by the trio of Kathryn Flores, Kelbie Powell and Camry Jourden, who all scored in double figures.
Flores scored 12 points on 80% shooting, adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals, Powell recorded 11 points, eight rebounds, a steal and a block, and Jour- den recorded 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Other Roughettes individual stat lines included Avyian McGlasson with nine points, seven steals, five rebounds, three blocks and an assist, Araceli Ibarra with seven points, seven rebounds, four assist and a steal, and Kaytlin Clausen with one point, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists.
The win improves the Roughettes to 22-11 over- all and 9-2 in district play, which puts them second in the 2A District 5 standings.
On the Maidens side of things, the loss drops them to 11-20 overall and 3-9 in district play, which puts them fifth in the 2A District 5 standings.
Scorers for the Maidens included Haylee Toscano with 12 points behind four three-pointers made, Khloe Aguirre with 11 points, Addy Sabala with four points and Blaize Garza with one point.
Following the frustrating loss, Maidens Interim Head Basketball Coach Martin Adams gave a statement.
“It was a tough game from the start. We didn’t get any early calls,” Coach Adams said. “Credit to Sundown for playing like they do, fast and taking advantage of the turnovers and times at the line. I challenged the girls to play hard for the entirety of the game. We had a few threes fall for us late to help shorten the gap, but I’m proud of the girls. It was a great season and I’m proud to be able to coach the Morton Maidens.”
As Coach Adams alluded to, the loss marked the final game of the Maidens season as they missed the postseason, but they can exit with their heads held high as they improved their 2024-25 win total by nine wins.
And for the Roughettes, not only did they celebrate the district win, but also their seniors Camry Jourden and Araceli Ibarra on senior night.
Following the game, Roughettes Head Basketball Coach Jared Neighbors praised Jourden and Ibarra for not only their impact on the court, but also their leadership throughout their careers.
They’ll look to close out their careers strong with a deep postseason run, but before then, they’ll wrap up district and regular season play early in the week against the #5 ranked Whiteface Lady Lopes, who enter the matchup on a 26-game win streak.
The game has huge implications because if the Roughettes can pull off the upset, they’ll edge out Ropes for the second district playoff seed.